


Evening Song

by Vox (Akumeoi)



Series: Centaur/Elf AU [2]
Category: No. 6 - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Centaurs, Elves, Fairy Tale Style, Gen, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-28 16:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6337435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akumeoi/pseuds/Vox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A continuation of the centaur AU for all you perverts out there who wonder how Nezumi and Shion are gonna get together even though Nezumi is a centaur and Shion is an elf. Written in the style of a classic fairy-tale by Andrew Lang.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Evening Song

**Author's Note:**

> Roku = six in Japanese

Once upon a time, there lived a young forest elf named Shion. He was good, gentle, and kind, as well as skilled in the arts sacred to his people – wizardry, planting, and medicine. His mother was the best cook in the village, and he was her pride and joy. His hair was pure white like the snow and his eyes glowed with the delicate purple of the flower for which he was named. 

One cloudy day he was out picking cherries in the forest for his mother, when it began to rain. As the rain became torrential and thunder rolled over the hills, Shion began to seek shelter. Though he loved storms, he did not wish to be struck by lightning nor washed away by the downpour. Finding no safe place close at hand, he made his way to a nearby cave. 

Young Shion was soaked through, so he hung his shirt on a rocky overhang and sat down near the mouth of the cave to watch the storm. In a few moments, he became aware of the presence of another life-force in the cave behind him. Hoping he was not about to be set upon by wolves Shion turned around, and found himself face-to-face with a young and beautiful centaur. The centaur had dapple-grey hide with white socks on all four feet, and a soft, rippling tail of pure black with a glossy blue sheen. His mane was the same colour, loose and long, rippling down his spine. The human part of him was pale and joined smoothly to his powerful horse chest. All of these details were lost on young Shion, who noticed only the stranger’s colossal size. For though the centaur, too, was young, he stood at least three feet taller than Shion’s head. He also had a pair of beautiful grey eyes, like the colour of dawn over water. 

The centaur bore down upon Shion as if to trample him or to snatch him up and throw him from the cave. As Shion jumped aside and flattened himself against a wall, he saw that one of the centaur’s haunches was bleeding, and he was struggling to put weight on his back leg. Evidently the charge had been too much for him, because he collapsed near the cave entrance in a thrashing tangle of limbs, snorting in distress. 

“Hold still,” Shion cried out to the centaur. “I promise I won’t hurt you. I’m a wood elf, and my people are skilled in the arts of healing. I can treat your wounds.”

Shion tried to approach the centaur without being kicked, and somehow managed to wedge himself between the centaur’s torso and the wall. The centaur stopped his thrashing and stared him in the eye. 

“I know you can understand me,” young Shion said confidently, because although he had never met a centaur before, he had read of them in the village’s well-stocked library. 

Miraculously, the centaur calmed and managed to pull himself into a sitting position. Shion examined the wound and found that some wild animal had clawed a series of deep, ragged parallel gashes down the centaur’s haunch and into his leg. After fetching some rainwater in his leather belt pouch to clean the wounds, Shion used a small amount of magic to numb the centaur’s pain. Then he retrieved a needle and thread from the pouch. The centaur, who had his whole torso twisted around and was craning his neck to see what Shion was doing, spoke for the first time. 

“Elf, what do you intend to do to me?” he said. 

“I am going to close your wound,” Shion replied. 

“Can’t you just use magic to fix it?” the centaur said, switching his tail. 

“No, I haven’t learnt how yet. I have not yet treated a wound of this size by myself, but I have read many books and watched others in my village perform this operation thousands of times. Besides, I have the most skilled hands of anyone in my year.” Shion was not saying this to be boastful, but to reassure the centaur of his ability to help him. 

But the centaur rudely laughed. “You elves are so high and mighty.” Before Shion could protest, the centaur said, “But you may do it anyway. Make it quick.”

Shion did so. The centaur flinched when the needle went in, but soon relaxed as he realised Shion had already taken the pain away. After a moment, the centaur, who was regretting his rudeness, broke the rainy quiet. 

He said: “You are a very strange elf. Most of your kind would have asked my name by now.”

“My name is Shion,” said Shion. “I was named for the flower.”

“My name is Evening Song,” said the centaur. “Most simply call me Eve. I don’t care what you call me.”

“I prefer Eve,” Shion said. “Can you please stand up?”

Eve took a deep breath, then struggled to his feet. He held his injured foot high up in the air so that the muscles were bunched together, only tentatively putting his foot down after Shion motioned for him to do so. 

“What did this to you?” Shion asked. 

Eve told him how he had been attacked in the woods by a giant fennec fox with ears the size of a dinner plate. Shion knew of this fox. He was the familiar of the dread wizard Roku , whose lands bordered the elven lands. Many unicorns and other hapless magical creatures fled his lands and were rescued from the elves, while Eve’s tribe of centaurs in particular was a target of his wrath. 

Finally Shion finished sewing up Eve with only a few inches of thread to spare. The rain had not stopped and now it was getting dark and cold. Shion retrieved his shirt, which was now mostly dry. 

“I knew there was a reason you elves wore so many clothes,” Eve said. “It’s because you’re so skinny.”

Shion protested, but Eve only laughed. 

The young elf and the young centaur decided to spend the night in the cave together and head for home in the morning. Shion was cold, so Eve allowed him to sleep curled up against his side. Eve would not admit it, but after his painful ordeal he was glad to have some company, even if it was just an elf. 

The next morning the two parted ways, each returning to his respective village. But this was the start of an incredibly firm friendship that withstood the tests of both time and distance, as Eve’s herd roamed on to new pastures for a short while, returned, and then left again. The dread wizard Roku hounded the herd ceaselessly, but fortunately no centaurs were lost. Shion slowly became both known and loved among Eve’s herd, while Eve did the same in Shion’s village, in spite of his hot temper, his sarcastic and biting wit, and his unfailing cynicism. 

Apart from Eve, Shion had one other friend, a lovely young wood elf named Safu, whom he had known since they were both very young. She had rich brown hair rippling down to her waist, and large, curious brown eyes. The entire village expected that one day Shion and Safu would be married, including Shion himself. Shion’s mother was the only one to have doubts, but she did not voice her concerns, trusting that in the end her son would be able to follow his heart. Now, it just so happened that Safu was an extremely clever and talented mage, and in spite of her youth she became well-known throughout the forest for her power, just as Shion became known for his healing abilities. 

It was for this reason that the dread wizard Roku one night sent his fennec fox familiar to the village to kidnap her. When the town discovered her loss the next morning, Shion was the first to volunteer to go to her rescue. Naturally, his mother was very reluctant that he should go, but she thought of Safu as a daughter and knew there was no one better to rescue her than Shion. So she said to him: “You must go and ask your uncle Rikiga where to find the wizard, for he is a purveyor of secret information such as this,” and Shion agreed to do so. 

As he was setting out he encountered Eve, who had just been coming along to see if he would like to go down to the lake to-day. Shion explained that he was off to see his uncle Rikiga so that he could rescue Safu, who had been kidnaped by the dread wizard Roku and his fox spirit familiar. 

Eve said: “Shion, I, too, have a grudge against this evil wizard. He has been hunting my family since I was a child, and I cannot stand by now that he has kidnapped your friend. Unlike me, you don’t know this wizard, and you will surely get yourself killed. I’m coming with you.”

And even though Shion didn’t want Eve to be in danger any more than Eve wanted him to be in danger, he was very glad indeed to have his faithful friend by his side. So without further ado, the two of them made their way to the house of Shion’s uncle. 

Rikiga welcomed Shion in, though Eve had to stay outside and listen at the window, because he was so tall (this was a common occurrence). Upon hearing the news, Rikiga scratched his beard and told them that there was no way he would risk his life to fight the wizard. Shion had to explain to him that they only wanted advice.

“The wizard lives in a fortress called the Moondrop, which is but three days’ journey from here,” Rikiga told them. “Safu is probably being kept on the top floor. Now, this wizard is very powerful, but he does have one weakness. At the top of the Moondrop is a golden bird and her nest of six silver eggs. You must kill this bird. You will not be able to destroy the eggs, as doing so will only harm you. As soon as he has seen what you have done, he will fly after you and throw them at you. As soon as he has thrown the last one he will fall down dead. But you must take care that he does not touch you with one, for if he does, you shall surely die. Perhaps you should capture a unicorn to ride on – there is no faster or more agile steed.”

“But what about the wizard’s familiar?” Shion asked. 

“Once you kill the bird, he will no longer be bound to the wizard and may fly away, so you need not concern yourself with him,” Rikiga said. 

“Thank you for the advice, old man,” Eve said. “The only thing you got wrong is the bit about the unicorn. No friend of mine will ride on the back of some brainless nag. Shion will ride on my back instead.”

Shion was overwhelmed with gratitude at the kindness of his friends and thanked them both so profusely that Eve was embarrassed. Eve ushered Shion out the door and together they began their journey. 

After three days’ ride they arrived at the Moondrop of the wizard, just as Rikiga had said .Not wanting to infiltrate after dark, they spent the night in a nearby forest. The next morning, they saw the wizard and his familiar leave the tower, so they immediately snuck in. Though the Moondrop was full of many cunning traps and pitfalls, Shion’s magic and Eve’s cleverness enabled them to safely reach the top of the tower. There they found Safu safe and sound, as well as the golden bird of which Rikiga had spoken. 

Shion was loathe to kill a living being, as it was against the elves’ creed to take a life. But Eve, knowing the wizard would surely take their lives if he could, crushed the bird under one of his feet. A piece of skull lodged under his hoof, but he did not notice. 

At that moment, the whole Moondrop seemed to shudder beneath them as the power that had held it together was broken. Eve snatched up Shion and Safu and threw them onto his back, and they held on for dear life as he dashed through the crumbling wreckage of the tower and into the forest. 

To make matters worse, at that moment the wizard arrive with the fennec fox in tow, and he summoned the six silver eggs from the wreckage of the Moondrop. These he began to throw at Eve, Shion, and Safu’s escaping backs. The fox ran behind them, nipping at their heels. Safu quickly threw up a magical shield to protect them from the cursed eggs and the other spells the wizard was throwing at them. As one, two, three, four, and finally five eggs were destroyed, the wizard began to fall behind. They reached a cliff and began to descend, and Safu lowered her shield, certain they were safe now. They knew Eve could outrun the fox, as he had been doing it his entire life. 

But just then, the piece of bird skull lodged under Eve’s hoof pricked him, and instead of landing the next jump he fell down and down to the bottom of the cliff. Safu and Shion both jumped clear and landed lightly on their feet thanks to the strength and grace of their elven bones, but Eve was not so lucky. All four of his legs were shattered, as well as his back. He was alive, if in a great deal of pain, and then the fennec fox arrived. Safu immediately began to fight the fox with magic, but Shion turned to Eve and took the dying centaur’s hand. 

Eve was beyond healing, that was for certain. But Shion did know one spell which might save him. Shion crouched low beside his dying friend.

“Well, Shion, I suppose I wasn’t any better than a unicorn after all,” Eve said.

“Eve, don’t say things like that!” Shion said frantically.

“I’m dying, Shion. Don’t tell me what to do. Have some respect for the dead,” Eve said.

“But you’re not dead yet!” Shion said with determination. “I know a spell that can heal you. Eve, do you want to live? No matter what it takes?”

At the end of his strength, Eve nodded. Shion summoned all of his magic, then placed his hands over Eve’s heart. In a burst of bright white light, Eve transformed into a large grey mouse, about the size of a wolf. And he was healed, whole and entire.

As Eve staggered to his feet, the wizard finally arrived, carrying the last of the six silver eggs. This egg was smaller than the others, but no less potent. He threw it directly at Eve. 

As Safu was occupied with fighting the fox and Shion’s magic was completely gone, there was no way to shield Eve, who could barely stand upright on his two new mouse legs. So Shion threw himself in front of Eve and took the full force of the spell. As the wizard had used up the last of his silver eggs he immediately fell down dead at their feet. But Shion also fell to the ground. 

Seeing his master dead and no longer bound by any spell, the fennec fox froze in astonishment, so Safu killed him. Then she and Eve both rushed to Shion’s side. 

There was nothing visibly wrong with Shion, but he was lying on the ground convulsing and clutching his head as if he were in terrible pain. Then Nezumi saw that a red snake-scar had wrapped itself around Shion’s ankle, and they knew that he was cursed. 

“What shall we do?” Safu said. Eve felt a crushing fear upon him, worse than he had felt when it had been he who lay dying. 

“Safu, you take Shion back to his mother’s house and take good care of him. I will seek out the were-witch, who will know how to cure him. Then I’ll get the cure and bring it back to you,” Eve said. The were-witch was a legend among his people, a being who lived deep within the woods and could communicate with any living creature. Shion begged Eve not to go, but Safu agreed that Eve’s plan was good. So, taking Shion on her back, she set off into the woods. 

Eve attempted to spring up and start for the were-witch immediately, but lost his balance and fell over something that was lying in the dust. First he cursed Shion for turning him into such an unfamiliar creature – though it had saved his life, he would have preferred something else with four feet. Unicorn, perhaps. Then it occurred to him to wonder exactly what it was he had fallen over. 

The answer to that was bones. Human bones. The bones of the dead wizard Roku. Now, Eve was no wizard himself, but he knew better than to leave the skull of a wizard lying around. So he picked it up and took some ribs for good measure, put it in his bag (the strap of which was now too big), and set off again. 

It took him many bruises and several miles to master the more fluid run of a mouse, as well as the use of the whiskers and tail. If Shion had been able to see his once-graceful friend now he would have fallen over laughing. But that thought only spurred Eve forward. 

He walked for three days and three nights, sleeping in trees or caves and eating leaves, roots, and fruits along the way, glad to find his mousy stomach would accept even more than the centaur one had. At last he arrived at the ruined castle where the were-witch dwelt. The were-witch was so named because they were not only a witch, but (so the legend went) a were-wolf too. This meant that their powers were ruled by the cycles of the moon. Fortunately, the full moon was almost upon them. Now, all Eve had to do was convince them to help him find a cure for Shion before it was too late. 

It was with some trepidation that Eve knocked at the door of the crumbling old castle. Two massive dogs answered the door. Although Eve was afraid, especially as he was a mouse and the two dogs were growling hungrily, he stood his ground and spoke. 

“Can you take me to the were-witch?” Eve said, being as polite as he knew how to be. “My friend is dying.”

Both dogs barked, but they admitted him into the castle. They led him deep through the ruin until they arrived at a grand old hall. At the far end crouched a human figure, surrounded by several other dogs of various sizes. Eve cautiously approached, unsure whether he could trust his new mouse legs to carry him away fast enough if he needed to flee. 

The were-witch rose. Eve stared. 

The were-witch appeared to be of about the same age as Eve, with long, black, tangled hair, sharp yellow canines, and a twitching nose. They wore the rags of once-fine clothes, so covered in dog-hair that they appeared to be furred. The two dogs who had led Eve in began barking. The were-witch listened attentively, then said to Eve, “My name is Inukashi, not were-witch. Who are you and who is your friend who is cursed?”

“My name is Eve, Evening Song, and I was once a centaur. I am the friend of Shion the wood elf, who was cursed during a fight with the wizard Roku and his familiar the fennec fox,” Eve explained. 

“I knew all that,” Inukashi said, “I was just testing if you would tell the truth. I also know that Shion’s friend Safu carried him back to his village, and he is even now being tended to by Safu and his mother.”

Eve nodded. 

“If the cursed marks reach the top of his skull, Shion is doomed. You are lucky that I am a friend of the centaurs and wood elves, or I wouldn’t be so willing to help you. What will you give me in return?” Inukashi said. 

“Anything,” Eve said. “My life, if need be.”

Inukashi smiled, showing their sharp teeth. “Well, to start with, you’ve got something in your bag that interests me very much.”

Eve reached into his bag and found the wizard’s bones, which he gave to Inukashi. 

“These will make good toys for my dogs,” Inukashi said, giving the ribs to a large black dog. They set the skull on a podium beside them. Eve was vastly relieved that the were-witch had accepted payment. 

“What must I do?” Eve said.

“Patience,” said Inukashi. “I will send out my dogs to all four corners of the world, and they will find a cure for you. Come back tomorrow, when the moon is full.”

So Eve went away, and spent a night and a day worrying and lamenting (although he would never admit it). On the night of the full moon he returned to the were-witch’s castle and found the were-witch fully transformed into a wolf. When they spoke in a flashing of sharp yellow teeth and lolloping red tongue, their terrible growling voice made Eve go weak at his little mouse knees. But he was never one to admit weakness, so he stood his ground and asked them if they had found a way to save Shion.

“I sent the terriers to the east, and they found nothing. Then I sent the retrievers to the west, and they found nothing. So I sent to the hounds to the south, and they too found nothing,” said Inukashi gravely. 

“Are you telling me it’s been a whole day and you’ve still found nothing?” Eve said, unable to wait any longer. 

Inukashi flashed him a very toothy smile. “That’s the best part,” he said. “I sent the mutts to the north, and they came back with the answer. There are three things you must do to free Shion from his curse and save his life. First, you must take this silver dagger, with a handle I made from the dead wizard’s ribs, and cut the spell out of Shion’s neck. Then you must pluck a whisker from your own nose and use this silver needle to sew shut the wound. And while you do this, you must sing the Evening Song for which you were named, and you cannot stop until you are done.”

Eve repeated the instructions to Inukashi to be sure he had properly memorized them, then took the proffered dagger and needle. 

“Before you go,” said Inukashi, “I must warn you – if you do all as I have said, and Shion is healed, your body will be changed and you will never be able to become a centaur again. This is the second part of the payment. I’m sorry. I did the best I could.”

As Eve had already resigned himself to being a mouse for the rest of his life, this wasn’t much of a loss to him, though he did feel a pang as he thought of how his younger sister would laugh at him when he returned home. 

“You have three days and three nights to reach Shion before it is too late,” Inukashi warned him. Upon hearing this, Eve thanked the were-witch hastily and immediately fled the castle. 

It should have taken him six days to return to Shion’s village, even as a centaur, but Eve did it in three. It was sundown at the start of the third night when he entered Shion’s house and found him lying in his bed with his mother and Safu tending to him. The curse-mark that had started at his ankle was now wrapped around his body all the way to his cheek. Eve ushered Safu and Karan out of the room and sat down beside Shion, who was unconscious. 

Eve didn’t know if Shion could hear him, but he said, “Shion, you have to live. Don’t give up. I won’t let you.”

After examining Shion’s neck, Eve soon found the place where the evil spell had taken root. Taking the silver knife in hand, Eve carved the spell out of Shion’s skin, even though Shion cried out in pain. Then Nezumi plucked a whisker from his cheek, threaded the bone needle, and began to sing. 

_The evening sun sets in a soft orange glow_  
_And night descends down like soft raven’s wings_  
_And throughout all the land the creatures sleep soundly_  
_The trees in the forest keep watch on the world_

_No creature stirs in the hush of the stars_  
_Those bright lights which wake as the world goes to sleep_  
_But I am beside you, my love, I am keeping_  
_Your heart by my side, in the dark you are safe_

_The warm evening breeze is a heady sweet wine_  
_And this song that I sing is an echo of life_  
_Sing with me now, sing with me ‘till morning_  
_And one shall we be, ‘till the sun lifts her head_

As Eve tied off the end of the whisker and ended the song, a bright flash of light lit the room. The stitches melted into Shion’s neck, leaving only a thin white scar. Meanwhile, Eve found his own body changing, the thick fur of the mouse melting away to pale human skin. For a moment his heart swooped with joy at the thought that he might be regaining his original form, before he remembered Inukashi’s words. Before he could realise what had happened, Shion sat up. 

“Eve?” he said. “You’re an elf.”

Shion had been healed, and Eve had been transformed into an elf. Eve threw his arms around Shion, and Shion wept, and thanked Eve many times over. Overcome with joy, Eve kissed Shion full on the lips. It was then that they realised that now they both had the same number of feet, there was no reason to deny the feelings they had been holding in their hearts any longer. So it was that Shion’s mother’s hope for her son came true. 

And so Shion and Eve, now nicknamed Nezumi for his adventures as a mouse, were married in a great celebration which lasted for a whole week. The elves and the centaurs and Inukashi’s dogs all attended, and the feast was so glorious it is still talked about ‘till this day.

And they all lived happily ever after.

**Author's Note:**

> It was so hard to put dialogue in this, because on the one hand everyone in No. 6 has a distinctive voice, but on the other hand none of their voices sound like fairytale voices. What's up with that, man.


End file.
